The present invention relates to a system for conveying to a user the characteristics of data files displayed as hypermedia links and to the presentation of content information about such hypermedia links via audible feedback.
Hypermedia is a paradigm for representing information as documents interconnected by xe2x80x9clinksxe2x80x9d (references to other documents or data files). Files so referenced can (and often do) reference other files in the same manner. Using the hypermedia paradigm, large numbers of data files can thus form highly interconnected documents and file systems.
An example of hypermedia""s popularity is its use on the Internet. The Internet is an enormous distributed collection of data. Use of the Internet has increased dramatically with the advent of the world-wide web (WWW). The WWW uses hypermedia concepts to allow easier access to this mass of information. In the WWW paradigm, links in a WWW document are represented by Universal Resource Locators (URLs). These URLs give the WWW address of the system (webserver) on which the information (data file) is stored. Other information in the URL includes the data file""s name and location on the webserver. Data files referenced in such systems may contain text, digitized audio, digitized video, or other information, or may themselves be executable programs.
Hypermedia and the tools designed to view such information have existed for several years. Unfortunately, many hypermedia tools exhibit known computer-human interface problems. Such tools often give users little or no feedback about the characteristics of the data files referenced by the links which point to the data file""s location, the time to obtain that information or the results of ongoing processes.
In many hypermedia systems (e.g., Sun Microsystem""s(trademark)WWW browser HotJava(trademark)), the manner in which a data file is represented often allows the user to view only the data file""s name and location (its URL). Information regarding the data file""s size, its file type, the length of time required to download the data file and other information is often unavailable to the user, save for actually downloading the file. Such information is only available if it is included in the hypermedia page on which the data file""s URL is displayed. This places the onus of providing such information on the party maintaining the WWW site. Moreover, dynamic information such as the download time cannot be hard-coded. This is because such information is not deterministic and depends upon a variety of variables such as the current load on the webserver, the current load on the network, and the network distance between the client and webserver. Thus, many WWW sites do not and, in some respects, cannot provide such information. These URL""s may represent data files residing on webservers far removed from the system on which the browser resides. This is true not only for the WWW, but for any widely-distributed network-based hypermedia browsing environment. Unfortunately, a webserver""s operator has no transparent method of indicating such information (especially dynamic information such as download time) to a user operating a hypermedia browser.
While visual cues may be used to relay this information to the user, the highly visual task of searching for the desired links in a hypermedia display reduces the visual bandwidth available for acquiring information regarding each link""s characteristics. Visual enhancements which provide more information may compound the problem by forcing additional cognitive loads on the user. In addition, there are situations when graphical information display may be inappropriate or invasive. For example, visual cues notifying a user about progress, completion or errors tend to distract the user from the (primarily visual) task which they are currently performing.
Accordingly, it is desirable and important to efficiently provide information on hypermedia links without forcing the user to actually download the information represented by those links. Further, it is desirable to provide such information and information regarding the hypermedia browser""s operations in a manner which minimizes interference with the user""s operation of the computer system and even further engages the user in the operation of the hypermedia browser.
By virtue of the present invention, a system is provided for conveying to a user the characteristics of data files displayed as hypermedia links and for the presentation of content information about such hypermedia links via audible feedback.
In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for presenting hypermedia link information is provided which communicates to the user the characteristics of a data file to which the hypermedia link points. The computer system waits for one or more hypermedia links to be selected. The hypermedia link in this scenario points to a data file about which information is to be gathered. The computer system then requests information about the data file. In one aspect of this embodiment, a cue is generated to communicate information about said data file to a user. This cue may be an auditory cue (e.g., a piano note with a pitch related to the data file""s relative size) or a visual cue (e.g., a pop-up information box on the user""s display).
In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method for presenting hypermedia link information is provided in which selected links in a hypermedia document (e.g., all the links on the page currently displayed) are examined. The characteristics of each link are then returned to the user. The process begins by having the computer retrieve a hypermedia page. The computer system then retrieves information about each file (or a pre-selected set of files) represented by a hypermedia link on the hypermedia page. This is done by generating an information request, sending the information request to a computer system on which the data file resides, receiving the information, and processing the information. The information received is then communicated to the user.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventions herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.